15/10/2013

Eid al-Adha عيد الأضحى (Feast of the Sacrifice)

Eid al-Adha

Eid al-Adha (Arabic: عيد الأضحىʻĪd al-’Aḍḥá, IPA: [ʕiːd al ʔadˁˈħaː], "festival of sacrifice"), also called Feast of the Sacrifice, the Major Festival, the Greater Eid, Kurban Bayram (Albanian, Bosnian, Turkish: Kurban Bayramı), Eid-e-Qurban (Urdu: عید قرباں), Eid al-Bakr and Bakrid, is an important religious holiday celebrated by Muslims worldwide to honour the willingness of the prophet ʾIbrāhīm (Abraham) to sacrifice his young first-born son Ismā'īl (Ishmael) as an act of submission to God's command and his son's acceptance to being sacrificed, before God intervened to provide Abraham with a Lamb to sacrifice instead.

In the lunar Islamic calendar, Eid al-Adha falls on the 10th day of Dhu al-Hijjah and lasts for four days. In the international Gregorian calendar, the dates vary from year to year, drifting approximately 11 days earlier each year.

Eid al-Adha is the latter of the two Eid holidays, the former being Eid al-Fitr. The basis for the Eid al-Adha comes from the 196th verse of the 2nd sura of the Quran. The word "Eid" appears once in the 5th sura of the Quran, with the meaning "solemn festival".

Like Eid al-Fitr, Eid al-Adha begins with a Sunnah prayer of two rakats followed by a sermon (khuṭbah). Eid al-Adha celebrations start after the descent of the Hajj from Mount Arafat, a hill east of Mecca. Ritual observance of the holiday lasts until sunset of the 12th day of Dhu al-Hijjah. Eid sacrifice may take place until sunset on the 13th day of Dhu al-Hijjah. The days of Eid have been singled out in the Hadith as "days of remembrance". The days of Tashriq are from the Fajr prayer of the 9th of Dhul Hijjah up to the Asr prayer of the 13th of Dhul Hijjah (5 days and 4 nights). This equals 23 prayers: 5 on the 9th-12th, which equal 20, and 3 on the 13th.

read more


All Australian sheep for korban taken up, Canadian lambs still available

File photo:  Sheep searching for feed in rural New South Wales, Australia. (AFP/File/ Amy Coopes)

The Singapore Mosques Korban Committee (JKMS) says all 2,000 Australian sheep offered for korban rites this year have been taken up by members of the public.

In a statement on Monday evening, the committee says Muslims who wish to perform korban, however, can still do so with the Canadian lambs that are still available.


It says so far, 120 out of 500 Canadian lambs offered have been sold.


Tender for procurement of livestock for Korban ritual simplified

read more


Yaacob wants Singapore's haj quota to increase to about 800

Minister for Muslim Affairs Yaacob Ibrahim with pilgrims embarking on their Haj pilgrimage at Changi Airport on Sunday, Sept 22, 2013. If an appeal by Minister for Muslim Affairs Yaacob Ibrahim to the Saudi Arabian authorities is successful, the official quota for Haj pilgrims will increase to about 800. -- ST PHOTO: KEVIN LIM
Minister for Muslim Affairs Yaacob Ibrahim with pilgrims embarking on their Haj pilgrimage at Changi Airport on Sunday, Sept 22, 2013. If an appeal by Minister for Muslim Affairs Yaacob Ibrahim to the Saudi Arabian authorities is successful, the official quota for Haj pilgrims will increase to about 800. -- ST PHOTO: KEVIN LIM

If an appeal by Minister for Muslim Affairs Yaacob Ibrahim to the Saudi Arabian authorities is successful, the official quota for Haj pilgrims will increase to about 800.


The figure has been 680 since the quota was introduced several years ago.

Mr Yaacob announced the number on Sunday morning when sending off a batch of 24 pilgrims at Changi Airport.


read more